Yasiel Puig asks MLB on strike to consider the needs of Latino players

Baseball Big leagues is living a historical moment because it began a players strike which seeks to change the agreements between the MLB and the MLBPA. Players have spoken about this situation, such as Yasiel puig who asked the MLB that one of the issues to consider during this break be the needs of Latinos in the circuit.

Yasiel Puig spoke out and made his feelings known about the strike that is taking place in the MLB, his greatest concern having been the way in which Latinos live the experience in their passage through the ‘Big Top’. Here the words of the Cuban.

I hope that during this lockout and during the baseball negotiations you will also find a way to discuss the unique needs of Latino players.
Latino players have a hard time not educating us early on when we come to the United States. We do not understand what is expected of us as public figures. Latino players must not only learn English, but we must also better understand American values ​​and social norms so that we can make better decisions for our careers and lives.

As a Cuban immigrant, I came to play on the biggest stage in baseball without a proper guide to help me fully assimilate, so I had to learn many lessons the hard way. I don’t want another player to experience the same difficulties that I went through. I hope that the negotiations consider this void.
There are things that I cannot change from the past, but I am determined to continue to become a better person every day, and I want to help other Latino players take on these roles, so I ask the MLB and the Players Union to help us. ask players like me questions, we have a lot to say.

For example, I came from a country where the news was censored, to one that accepts everything written on paper as if it were the complete truth.
Almost as soon as I got here, the media pushed certain narratives about me because they were selling more newspapers. They did not understand my shortcomings here because of my lack of assimilation. They didn’t understand my culture or how my upbringing played an important role, and I didn’t know how to help them understand either.

My color, my size, and my poor communication skills made it easy for me to become the target of the target shot. The worst story was always the easiest and juiciest to believe. Every hit of the bat, every situation on and off the field was judged from a tainted point of view, and this made me an even bigger target for people who knew the system better than I did. Baseball, culture and people are so different in our countries.

At first the big agencies advised me not to worry about what was being written, so the narrative continued. They told me to go ahead, that’s how things were done. That narrative made me the type that some outlets still like to hate, and it has given me a description of myself that has never gone away. Most people have the opportunity to grow, but some press always reminds me that there are people who will never want me to grow or change.

It was only until this year with the blessing of good people by my side, that I learned that I have the power to speak my truth with my own voice and to forgive those who speak about me without really knowing me. I am thankful for the difference that God has made in my life this year.

I hope this lockout ends soon. I also hope that the media will start to report on my growth, the good that my @wildhorsefdn and the man I am today does with the help that I have sought from people who care about me, the person, not just the player.

Everyone deserves the chance to turn the corner, and with the right support, they can. I want this opportunity more than anything. I no longer want to be drowned in narratives from the past.
Whatever happens, now I know that my story will always be mine to continue telling. It will also be a story that supports my Latino brothers to also find their own voices. I hope baseball returns soon, and I look forward to returning to the big stage, now that I have discovered so much.

adda lavalle

I joined ‘Al Bat’ in September 2020, starting a new work stage in which I always seek to give my best version, in addition to leaving a significant mark on the passage of women in an industry that is managed mainly by men. Degree in Communication Sciences and Techniques from the Inter-American University for Development (UNID), I am a specialist in sports journalism, writing and editing texts, I have three years of experience covering sports, especially baseball from the Mexican Baseball League (LMB ), Liga Mexicana del Pacífico (LMP) and MLB. I was an intern at the LMB Leones de Yucatán Baseball Club, with whom I attended the 2019 Rey Series. I have done work for social networks such as coverage of the 2019-2020 edition of the LMP Final for ‘Con Las Bases Llenas’. I am constantly updated on social networks, SEO, Google positioning, writing, digital journalism, as well as the place of women in the sports industry. Originally from Mérida, Yucatán, my first approach to baseball was in a game of Lions of Yucatán, in the ‘Kukulcán Álamo’ Park, in 2015; and that changed my life completely. The ‘Melenudos’ are the team of my loves and the greatest passion I have in this sport. Although I dedicate myself to baseball most of the time, my sport, in the beginning, was (and still is) soccer. Real Madrid and Bayern Munich won my heart and fans from minute one and I am fortunate to have already seen them play live. Clearly, I am a fan of Cristiano Ronaldo and Manuel Neuer.

see more